Fossils and Geological Time

In which time period are we currently living?

• Precambrian Time

• Paleozoic Era

• Mesozoic Era

• Cenozoic Era

Jellyfish are one of the oldest species on Earth. In what time period did they first appear?

• Precambrian Time

• Paleozoic Era

• Mesozoic Era

• Cenozoic Era

Dinosaurs, small mammals, and birds are found in this time period.

• Precambrian Time

• Paleozoic Era

• Mesozoic Era

• Cenozoic Era

Which fossil is the youngest?

• fossil A

• fossil B

• fossil C

• fossils A and B are the same age

What is the importance of studying fossils?

• to provide information about how current life forms would exist in previous environmental conditions

• to provide information about how life and environmental conditions may have changed

• to provide information about how previous life forms would exist in current environmental conditions

Geologists assume the newest rock layers are on top of the older ones, unless some type of disturbance occurs, in known as …

• Law of Inclusions

• Law of Crosscutting

• Law of Conservation

• Law of Superposition

Determines the “relative” order of past events but not the absolute age.

• Absolute age

• Relative age

• Real age

• New age

Uses the decay of radioactive elements to find the ___________________________ of a rock or fossil.

• Relative age

• Absolute age

• New age

• Real Age

This chronological time chart is broken into different time chunks, the largest being the Eon, then Era, Period, and Epoch.

• Timeline

• Calendar

• Geological time scale

• Time chart

History of life as documented by all fossils, preserved in sedimentary rock strata is known as the _________________________.

• Rock record

• Fossil record

• Geology record

• Petrified record